With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I know some of you are planning a homemade sushi dinner. Whether this is your first time or you’re a seasoned pro, making sushi at home can be simple, fun, and rewarding. I’ve written before on how to make sushi rolls and Adrianna recently did a post on temaki, but the question I get asked the most is some version of “how do I know if the fish at my store is safe to eat raw?”. The term “sushi-grade” is often tossed around to imply some level of freshness, but in the US, there’s no regulation around the use of the phrase, so it can be used to describe anything. That said, most stores aren’t in the business of getting their customers sick, so they usually reserve the label for their freshest fish. Unfortunately, just because it’s fresh doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat raw. Some fish, such as salmon, contain parasites that will make you sick unless they’ve been destroyed. Another potential problem is cross-contamination.

This happens when “sushi-grade” fish gets cut on the same cutting board or using the same knife or handled with the same gloves as non-sushi-grade fish. If your fishmonger is storing unwrapped sushi-grade fish in the same refrigerated case as non-sushi-grade fish, this should be a big red flag.sushi grade fish portsmouth nh For fish that contain parasites, the FDA provides guidance under their Parasite Destruction Guarantee. jiro dreams of sushi canal plusThis states in part that fish intended to be consumed raw must be “frozen and stored at a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) or below for a minimum of 168 hours (7 days)”.sushi in suhl streamen Cross contamination is a bigger issue. jiro dreams of sushi edmonton

Because most stores don’t sell a high enough volume of fish intended to be eaten raw, they don’t maintain a separate space for handling their “sushi-grade” fish. What’s worse, because tuna is such a large fish, most stores don’t deal with whole tuna, they buy them pre-filleted, which means you have to take into consideration not only the stores handling of the fish, but their supplier’s handling of the fish as well.maiko sushi menu sources Ultimately, what it comes down to is how much you trust your fishmonger to understand the best practices for handling fish meant to be consumed raw, and how much they trust their suppliers to hold the same standards. jiro dreams of sushi richmond vaHere are a few things to remember when buying fish to ensure you have a safe and delicious sushi-dinner:

Observe and see for yourself whether they’re cutting their sushi-grade fish on the same cutting board as their other fish, without changing gloves or disinfecting their knife and board first. Ask whether they fillet the fish you’re looking to buy themselves, or if they’re getting them pre-filleted. If you are buying salmon, ask if they can produce logs that show the times and temperatures that the fish was frozen. If you can’t find a local place you can trust with raw fish, why not try filling your sushi with vegetables, cooked fish, or even meat. California Rolls and Caterpillar Rolls may not be traditional, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious!For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. Marc’s been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.

FARGO—Tuna has been the biggest seller at Deep Blue Seafood House and Market since it opened at 4480 23rd Ave. S. late last month.It came as no surprise to John Mittleider, who helps run the fish market owned by his wife, Busola. "It's all the things I would have expected. The salmon, tuna and shrimp," he said.Those who grew up in land-locked states like North Dakota and Minnesota may need a little encouragement to try the pinwheel octopus or alligator tail meat.Mittleider acknowledged that a lot of their success will depend on education."A good part of our job, a big portion honestly, will be educating people on how they can use and prepare a certain fish," he said. "If I bring in escolar or Hawaiian opah, people may not have had an opportunity to try it and are hesitant to prepare it at home. We will do our best to give people ideas and give comparisons to a fish people are familiar with."Not everyone will need the help. Stan McGrath of Wahpeton knew exactly what he wanted when he visited the store Wednesday, July 20.

He was there to pick up dry scallops."Your store-bought scallops are wet scallops. They're mushy and they shrink a lot. I heard these guys opened so I came to give theirs a try," he said.ALSO READ: Moorhead woman's car struck by lightning near Bluestem Amphitheater Tuesday nightWATCH: 'City of Brotherly Love' nickname fitting for Wentz familyMittleider believes Deep Blue Seafood offers the widest selection of seafood in North Dakota.From blue crab and shrimp from vendors in Apalachicola, Fla., to oysters from Boston, everything is fresh.So fresh, in fact, that it cannot be sold as "sushi-grade.""I can't say it's sushi-grade because in order to do so it has to be frozen for a certain amount of time to kill any parasites from anything that might be in the meat. Personally, I don't have a problem eating it raw, but I can't say it's sushi-grade unless it's been frozen," Mittleider said.The store does, however, sell the seaweed wraps, seasoning and other necessities for people who want to make sushi at home.'East Coast crab shack'In addition to the market, Deep Blue Seafood features a small restaurant with seating for 24 people.